Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. Neither does Jules - she belongs to Celtic Lioness.

Ariadne swallowed as she stood outside Jules' door. She could hear the sound of muffled crying, and pausing, knocked gently on the door.

"Jules?" She called, softly. "Are you ok?" She regretted the words as they left her mouth. They sounded trite, unconvincing.

No response. Turning, she began to leave. Suddenly, the door opened a crack, and Jules peeped out. Her face was flushed, and her mouth had a downturned slant. She looked at her friend, despondently. "Ari..." her voice cracked, and a fresh wave of tears began.

Ariadne couldn't speak. Leaning forward, she hugged her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Nodding mutely, Jules led her inside.


Arthur sat in the sun, smiling at the waitress who brought him his cappuccino. Robert sat, silently. Not moving. Arthur took a look at him. His face was paler than usual, and his eyes were darkly shadowed. Arthur picked up his cup, and took a sip.

"I'll explain the ground rules when we get back."

Robert nodded.

"But, I'll tell you this." He leaned forward, his eyes intense. "I'm taking a risk here for you. And if you don't live up to it, then you go to the clinic. Understand?"

Robert glared at him, anger flashing in his eyes. "Oh, so you're going to bully me now, are you Arthur? Getting your own back?"

Arthur leaned back in his seat, slightly stunned. "Get my own back? My own back for what?"

Robert smirked. "The times I took other jobs from you, other shoots...because I was thinner."

Arthur felt a surge of fury, but choked it down. "Yes, you're thinner than me Robert - but also lonely, sick, and depressed." Arthur saw the other man flinch, but couldn't help himself. "I'm going back to the house, and I'll be seeing my girlfriend. As for Jules, well - I think you've-"

"STOP IT!" Robert shouted, loudly enough that other patrons began to look at them, muttering. He flushed slightly, and got up. "I don't need this, all right? I just don't!"

To Arthur's shock, he pushed the chair out, and got up. "Just leave me alone!"

Before Arthur could move, the other man was beginning to walk away, rapidly.


"What happened?" Ariadne asked, gently.

Jules sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "I followed him. He was at a club." She swallowed. "With another guy. I think he's name's Jared."

Ariadne nodded, the name was familiar. "He was giving him cocaine."

"What?" Ariadne's eyes widened in horror. "Jules, they-"

"I left," Jules said, quietly. "I couldn't stand it. Watching him do that. He's destroying himself, and I don't think he even cares. Its what he's used to."

"So what are you going to do?" Ariadne asked, softly.

"I'm going to leave." She shrugged, and gestured to her packed case. "I can't bear this. He's sick, he needs help, I can't help him. None of us can."

Ariadne bit her lip. "Well, I-"

"I'm sorry, Ari," Jules choked out. "But I can't do this."

"When are you going to leave?"

Jules looked numbly at the case. "This evening. I'll be back in my apartment."

"OK." Ariadne struggled to think of additional words. "Well, I-"

Suddenly, they heard the front door slam. The two women looked at each other. "Arthur," Ariadne said softly.

They began to head down the stairs. "Arthur? Is that you?"

"Yes!"

Ariadne paused, taken aback by the abruptness of his voice. As she walked further, she saw him, standing in the hallway. "Are you allright?" she asked, carefully.

Arthur shrugged. "He's gone." Turning, he walked towards her, pulling her into his arms.

"Gone?"

"Yes. Saw him at the hospital, and then, he just walked away." Arthur shook his head, and to her shock, she realised that he was nearly crying. "It didn't work. He doesn't want help. Its time I accepted that."

"Well, I-"

"Come on," Arthur said, simply. "Let's just try and relax." He looked up. Jules was walking down the stairs, a suitcase in her hand.

"I'm heading back to my apartment," she said, simply. "This isn't going to work, Arthur. It isn't."

He nodded. "Its ok."

Jules leaned forward, and hugged him. "You tried, Arthur. You tried."


A couple of hours later, Arthur and Ariadne slumped together on the couch. He was idly rubbing her foot.

"Stop it," she said, as she looked at his facial expression.

"Stop what?"

"Worrying." He smiled, faintly. "There's nothing you can do."

He shrugged. "Its just - he'll go back to Peter, and get sicker, and next thing, he'll be collapsing on the catwalk, in front of everyone." He shuddered. "He'll die."

Ariadne looked at him, her eyes moist. "I know."


"Here is your key, Mr Fischer."

Robert smiled thinly at the receptionist, . "Thank you." He carefully placed his platinum American Express card back in his wallet, and collected his key. He knew she wouldn't contact the press - he had money to buy immediate silence. He began to walk up to his room. As he did so, he heard a voice.

"Robert! Fancy seeing you here!"

He turned, and swallowed. "Summer. How nice to see you." Feeling a rush of fear, he turned, and practically ran for the elevator. She watched him go, smiling.


Jules sighed as she unlocked the door to her apartment, and dumped her case on the floor. Sighing, she flopped down on the couch.

Picking up the remote, she began to idly flick through the TV channels. Suddenly, she sat upright.

"And there is particular concern for Mr Robert Fischer. Mr Fischer, a top model, was hospitalised for what is believed to be nervous exhaustion. He left the hospital before completing treatment."

Angrily, Jules flicked the TV off. "Like I care," she muttered, trying to keep angry tears at bay.


Robert collapsed onto the bed. The hot shower had barely helped. He glanced at the walls, noting how cold and impersonal the hotel room seemed after staying with the others.

He heard a knock on the door, and shuddered. "Robert? Robert? Is my little boy in there?"

He swallowed, not daring to speak. After a few minutes, he heard footsteps moving away. He paused, and winced. Closing his eyes, he dissolved into tears.

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